Scotty Bolling receives 2011 President's Award for Excellence
Scotty Bolling, a laboratory mechanic for the Department of Entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, received the university's 2011 President's Award for Excellence.
The President's Award for Excellence is presented annually to up to five Virginia Tech staff employees who have made extraordinary contributions by consistent excellence in the performance of their job or a single incident, contribution, or heroic act. Each recipient is awarded a $2,000 cash prize.
A member of the Virginia Tech community for more than 30 years, Bolling supports the Department of Entomology by servicing research and teaching equipment for faculty and students, and repairing existing equipment and installing new equipment need by members of the department.
“Without Scotty, our programs and facilities would be far less functional than they are now,” said Mike Weaver, professor of entomology and director of Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs. “I know I speak for the entire department when I say his efforts have improved instruction and student learning, enhanced the quality of our programs, and created opportunities to win research and educational grants, contacts, donations, and patents.”
Weaver noted that Bolling’s specialized skills likely have saved Virginia Tech millions of dollars in labor and service costs during his career.
Bolling’s work has also had a great impact across Virginia. His contributions to the statewide pesticide safety education program have enabled Extension agents and specialists to demonstrate how to properly store pesticides, calibrate sprayers, prevent spray drift, select proper spray patterns, and help more than 20,000 growers and commercial applicators enrolled in the program to choose environmentally-friendly and safe methods.
“Scotty is a uniquely talented person who goes beyond doing,” Weaver said. “He is truly deserving of this award."
